Every year, the Unite States Coast Guard releases a video compilation of the most compelling rescues of the year and today the USCG released its 2009 compilation. The video (shown above) highlights 11 rescues, each representing one the service’s 11 statutory missions.
The top 11 video compilation includes (in no particular order):
- The rescue of a paraglider pilot who crashed on the shoreline of Cape Lookout near Tillamook, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
- The capture of suspected pirates from a response to a vessel distress signal from Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 409 while operating under Combined Task Force 151.
- A medical evacuation of a crewmember from a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Wash., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
- The simultaneous pursuit and interdiction off two drug smuggling boats 80 miles of the coast of Guatemala by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf.
- The rescue of two crewmembers from a fishing vessel on fire 10 miles off the coast of Long Beach, Wash., by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Active and aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
- The rescue of two people from a burning boat near Corpus Christi, Texas, from an aircrew from Sector Corpus Christi, Texas.
- The rescue of six people from their capsized vessel two miles from the Columbia River, Wash., by a boatcrew from Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
- The response to US Airways flight 1549 emergency landing in the Hudson River near Manhattan, N.Y., by boatcrews from Sector New York.
- The rescue of a man whose canoe flipped in heavy surf in the Necanicum River near Gearheart, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
- The dewatering of the fishing vessel Blue Diamond 90 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J., from the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish.
- The rescue of three people, their cat and dog during the Red River Valley floods from an aircrew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · rescue, rescue at sea, USCG, Video

I’m going to come right out and tell you something that almost no one in the maritime industry understands. That includes mariners, executives, managers, insurers, dock workers, for certain – fisherman, and even many (most) rescue professionals:
It is impossible to die from hypothermia in cold water unless you are wearing flotation, because without flotation – you won’t live long enough to become hypothermic.
Despite the research, the experience, and all the data, I still hear “experts” – touting as wisdom – completely false information about cold water and what happens to people who get in it. With another season of really cold water approaching, I feel compelled to get these points across in a way that will change the way mariners behave out there on (or near) the water.
What follows is the truth about cold water and cold water immersion. I know that you think you know all there is to know about hypothermia already (and maybe you do), but read ahead and see if you aren’t surprised by something.
When the water is cold (say under 50 degrees F) there are significant physiological reactions that occur, in order, almost always.
You Can’t Breath:
The first is phase of cold water immersion is called the cold shock response: It is a stage of increased heart rate and blood pressure, uncontrolled gasping, and sometimes uncontrolled movement. Lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes depending on a number of factors, the cold shock response can be deadly all by itself. In fact, of all the people who die in cold water, it is estimated that 20% die in the first two minutes. They drown, they panic, they take on water in that first uncontrolled gasp, if they have heart problems – the cold shock may trigger a heart attack. Surviving this stage is about getting your breathing under control, realizing that the stage will pass, and staying calm. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · hypothermia, rescue, survival

The TITAN Salvage team involved in the dramatic, 12-hour cliff-top rescue of the 25 crewmembers onboard the grounded cargo ship Fedra and one rescue swimmer last year has been nominated for the International Maritime Organization’s 2009 Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea.
Salvage Officer Nigel Raithby, Salvage Foreman Terry Barrows, Assistant Salvage Master Stephen Wood, Salvage Engineer Mike Wood, Salvage Master Jim Conroy and Project Manager and TITAN Managing Director Dan Schwall each received commendation letters from IMO Secretary-General E.E. Mitropoulos for their courageous actions in rescuing the Fedra crew during rough storm conditions at Gibraltar’s Europa Point. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · fedra, grounding, Lifesaving Incidents, rescue

Via Amver Blog
Are you coming to the U.S. Amver Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC today? Information on the ceremony can be found here. Besides U.S. Amver award recipients guests such as United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral Brian Salerno and United States Coast Guard Vice Commandant Vivien Crea will be attending. Stop by to pay tribute to the many U.S. shipping companies participating in the Amver system dedicated to safety at sea.
See you there!
Well not gCaptain, we unfortunately will not be attending, but here is a little more about what Amver has to say about the awards. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · AMVER, awards, rescue

On Monday, Alaskan state officials announced that the owners and operators of the bulk freighter, M/V Selendang Ayu, that sank off the north shore of Unalaska Island in the Bering Sea in 2004 have agreed to pay the state of Alaska nearly $850,000 to settle oil spill, wreck removal and lost fish tax claims.
The settlement with the vessels operator IMC Shipping Co. Pte. Ltd. (IMC) of Singapore and owner Ayu Navigation of Port Klang, Malaysia, brings the total amount of clean-up costs and fees to more than $112 million for the December 2004 sinking. The accident resulted in the a spill of approximately 336,000 gallons of fuel oil and diesel fuel.
With the exception of the Exxon Valdez, the penalty collected is the largest civil oil spill penalty ever recovered by the state of Alaska.
Flashback to December 2004
[Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · alaska, bering sea, incident photos, oil-spill, rescue, rescue-swimmer, USCG

Last week we brought you information on marine license insurance and in our continuing quest to look at non-traditional protection available to mariners we bring you Global Rescue – Maritime!
Mariners work in conditions that make getting immediate medical treatment extremely difficult. Most mariners and shipping companies do not have the assets to quickly and smoothly move injured or ill mariners off the ship and to qualified medical facilities much less to a hospital of their choice. When they do, Aeromedical transports can cost well over $100,000US and are rarely covered by insurance.
Even when a shipping company has a track record of evacuating injured mariners they rarely offer the level of service a good third party company can provide. For example: Will your company send you to a hospital in the nearest country or get you home fast? Will they provide a qualified medivac team at the closest point of land? Will the patient and their family’s concerns remain top priority? With Global Rescue the answer is YES! They also are discrete, important if you worry about your company’s reaction to a medical concern.
Global Rescue tells us: [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · Global Rescue, insurance, medical, medical_helicopter, medivac, rescue, rescue at sea
Coast Guard comes to the aid of the Ocean Challenger as the crab fleet listens to the news.
Video of USCG ( United States Coast Guard ) rescue of the crew of the Ocean Challenger which sank during the filming of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch.
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Tags: · fishing, mayday, rescue, television, USCG
This video released by the Pentagon Channel reports on the USCG’s continued efforts in and around the Houston area following Hurricane Ike.
For more of the best video clips released by the U.S. Coast Guard can be found on the USCGImagery Channel on YouTube HERE.
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Tags: · hurricane, rescue, USCG, Video
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If you liked this video click HERE for one similar.
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The BBC Tells us;
A cargo ship captain who was seriously injured in a force 10 gale off the Isles of Scilly is in hospital after being rescued by helicopter.
The aircraft lifted six other people from the ship 70 miles off Land’s End. Two of them had less serious injuries.
The three are believed to have been hurt when a giant wave hit the vessel and the cargo shifted.
Rescue attempts had to be abandoned overnight because of the extreme weather conditions and darkness.
After Saturday’s successful mission, Chief Petty Officer Dave Rigg said: “We pitched up on scene. I got lowered down on to the deck, went in, assessed the three casualties first.
“They were all fairly stable so whilst I was doing that I called for my colleague from the Ambulance Service.
“He then assisted me getting them into the stretcher – we then got the casualties into the aircraft and made our way back.” Continue Reading…
Related Links: In Pictures – M/V Riverdance
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Tags: · coast-guard, rescue, riverdance, UK